Hello and welcome to today’s edition of A Slice Of Soap. There’s still time to enter this week’s caption competition so get scribbling and make us all laugh.

Three big name soap stars are joining Emmerdale playing a family who run a new factory. Ex-Corrie heart-throb Chris Bisson (Vikram Desai in the soap) will play ladies’ man Jai. Torchwood heartthrob Rik Makaren will be his brother Nikhil while Hollyoaks In The City beauty Effie Woods will play younger sister Priya. The three new additions are the latest in the line of signings as the show continues in its period of reinvention.

Speaking of his new role, Bisson said: "Jai is a bit of a charmer and has an eye for the ladies but he’s also a hard worker with a good business mind."

Makarem commented: "Nikhil is a fiercely ambitious and determined individual, but having lived in the shadow of his brother in the past, he has an indomitable spirit and drive to make the factory a success."

Woods added: "I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Emmerdale. Priya is fun-loving and fancy-free and I think she’ll be giving her brothers a few headaches in the future! She’s going to be a lot of fun to play."

The show’s series producer Gavin Blyth said: "The Sharmas are a young, contemporary family independent of their parents and will bring the factory into the heart of the village community. They will add real vitality to life in Emmerdale."

Well, let’s hope that Gavin Blyth is right, because it would appear that some of our soaps still have much to learn with regard to the way in which they portray people from different ethnic groups. In fact, former EastEnders star Deepak Verma has recently criticised the BBC soap for failing to portray modern Asian families in a realistic manner.

The actor, who played Sanjay Kapoor between 1993 and 1998, has claimed that the programme is "going backwards" and branded the current Masood family as "two-dimensional and ill-conceived".

Verma added that BBC bosses should look to rival shows such as Coronation Street for inspiration about how to portray modern Asians.

So, will ITV1 strike the correct balance in the way that they portray The Sharmas? Well, that remains to be seen, but you’ll be pleased to know that the Sharmas make their debut on Emmerdale in September.

Do you agree with Sanjay Kapoor’s comments… are the Masoods “two-dimensional and ill-conceived”? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.

That’s it for me, I’m out of here. Join me on Friday for the results of the caption competition. Got a comment about your favourite soap, this blog or anything else? Share it with me.